Text of the Rockford College graduation speech by Chris Hedges

Rockford Register Star ^ | Wednesday, May 21, 2003 | Chris Hedges

[dixiechick2000]

I want to speak to you today about war and empire.

Killing, or at least the worst of it, is over in Iraq. Although blood will continue to spill -- theirs and ours -- be prepared for this. For we are embarking on an occupation that, if history is any guide, will be as damaging to our souls as it will be to our prestige, power, and security. But this will come later as our empire expands and in all this we become pariahs, tyrants to others weaker than ourselves. Isolation always impairs judgment and we are very isolated now.

[LiteKeeper]

SPOTREP

[eddie willers]

Jimmy Carter did his best to surrender to any American enemy he could find.

The one thing Jimmy Carter had right was that there was a general feeling of malaise in the years following Vietnam.

And yes....Ronald Reagan shook us out of the doldrums that Carter could only name.

[cookcounty]

There are 2 kinds of people:

Those who favor stopping Saddam's torture, rape and mass murder....

...and those who wanted to let it go on.

Mr. Hedges prefers the latter.

[Larry Lucido]

Not a bad speech in style, just full of errors, echoes of Arab disinformation, and left-liberal short cuts = for example that if it wasn't for Putin and Sharon the jihadists would drop their ideology and such.

"So, aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, the play was enjoyable?"

[randog]

We have forfeited the good will, the empathy the world felt for us after 9-11.

What empathy and good will? Hedges and his fellow travellers the world over were quick to point out that we deserved it.

[Saundra Duffy]

Oh, brother.

[Wolverine]

I just heard the last 1.5 minutes of Rushes last hour replay today...

It sounded like the graduation speaker had called into Rush...saying he was sorry...that he would vote for President Bush next year. Rush told the caller.."Don't do it again."

Did anyone else hear this?

[willyboyishere]

I was trying to figure out at what point(s) his microphone was shut off. Mr. Hedges needs some sleep, but he shouldn't get it when he's trying to write commencement addresses. BTW, isn't Rockford College known to be a super
conservative school? Don't they advertise in THE WEEKLY STANDARD every week?

[Colofornian]

Does he also publicly piss in the punch bowl at weddings?

Ah, well said 'bout somethin' not well said on the part of Benchin' & Hedges...he certainly was benched!

[willyboyishere]

"...his fellow travelers the world over were quick to point out we deserved (9-11)"---
---YES, this remains one of my favorite after-the-fact conceits of the haters of this Administration. According to this logic, the "empathy" we received from the world after 9-11 should have been "enough"-- we shouldn't have acted at all after we assessed the global threat of terrorism. We should've acquiesced in the warm and gooey feeling of FINALLY getting in the good graces of "the rest of the world".

[FITZ]

It gladdens him that he can look down his Harvard-educated, northeastern liberal nose at the dupes, rubes and southerners who comprise our hapless military forces.

The elitists need to realize that freedom of speech works BOTH ways. It is not something only for the elite Hollywood bimbos and Liberal professors.

[Risa]

>>It gladdens him that he can look down his Harvard-educated, northeastern liberal nose at the dupes, rubes and southerners who comprise our hapless military forces.<<

His speech is tawdry, cliched, and filled with factual errors. I would be so peeved if some multiculturalist idiot hijacked my college graduation to disseminate his perverse political rantings.

One can tell he came form Harvard--a bastion of multiculuralist/diversity ideology, and declining quality in education as a result.

[Temple Owl]

Thank you For_God_and_Country for a good post.

[Nachum]

What did this cretin think when he decided to read this in Rockford? Did he expect them to genuflect to him and kiss his feet?

Definately a future Darwin award candidate.

[Geezerette]

I just heard actual audio clips of this speech on Michael Savage's radio show.

It was monotone, morose and sounded like Maya Angelou's cadence and voice pattern, a caller observed. I agree! He sounded so gloomy and miserable.

Savage could hardly contain himself and kept muttering as the audio clip went on ... and on ... and on ... and mercifully ended.

g

[Arpege92]

UGH....typical liberal to take this opportunity to vomit his views and opinions onto others. He didn't mention one word about the future for the graduates and he took away their right to enjoy this momentous occasion!!!

[LibertarianInExile]

Maya Angelou is the poorest speaker I've ever heard, yet they trot that crone out like she's some great orator. It's like hearing that Jesse Jackson can fire up a crowd. Sure, he can, but only if it's full of his supporters. Everyone who's in the middle can't stand his idiotic ranting.

One of my biggest disappointments was sitting in the Hall of Presidents at Disney, a part of the park where I had eagerly hoped to bring my kids someday. Eisner and his cronies had, to my surprise, changed the narration and theme from non-party-affiliated patriotic American commentary, into Democrat egalitarian propaganda. Being forced to listen to A) Maya Angelou's lisping, rasping monotone narration and then B) Bill Clinton's blathering say-nothing speech made me so sad about the state of the country and the future my kids would have, that I felt sick to my stomach.

[dixiechick2000]

I heard the guy you're asking about on Rush, and it wasn't Chris Hedges.

The caller told Rush that he talked with him during the Azores Summit, before the Iraqi war. IIRC, the caller chewed Rush out about our war plans. I think he bought into the media line. Anyway, the caller called in to tell Rush that he had been wrong, that our military planners had been correct, and that he would vote for President Bush in the next election.

Rush was teasing the caller when he said, "Don't do it again."

[CharacterCounts]

What did this cretin think when he decided to read this in Rockford? Did he expect them to genuflect to him and kiss his feet?

He was hoping for the exact reception he got. In his mind, this controversy has been a terrific boon to him personally. Think about it, He went from being almost a nobody to the talk of the town in one short week. Now he is on the "A" list to all the liberal elitist parties.

[GOPJ]

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